‘Dear White People’ Gets 10 Episode Order For Netflix

Justin Simien’s film Dear White People will be adapted for TV on Netflix with a 10-episode order, according to reports on Thursday.

‘Dear White People’ Film Heads To Netflix As TV Series

The 30-minute satirical comedy, produced by Lionsgate TV, will reportedly begin production later this year. It is set for a 2017 debut, and Simien will write and produce the first episode.

The screenwriter crowdfunded the 2014 movie after using his tax return to create a trailer and promoted it on the website Indiegogo.

The movie won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the Sundance Film Festival and grossed more than $4.4 million in the U.S.

Much like the film, the series focuses on a diverse group of students of color as they navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college, where racial tensions are often swept under the rug.

Devon Shepard (House of Lies, Weeds), Stephanie Allain Bray (Dear White People) and Julia Lebedev (Dear White People) will executive produce the series.

There is no word yet on who will star in the series, but the movie featured Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson and Dennis Haysbert.

“From Day 1, Lionsgate has been remarkably supportive of the vision for the show, and working with Netflix is every bit as harmonious as I’d imagined it would be,” Simien told Hollywood Reporter. “Bringing this show to such a vibrant platform is an honor I don’t take lightly.”